Justice Falls when Justice Rises
by Miniclift239
Summary: The Light defeated. Each core member either arrested or dead. But the Justice League played no part in their fall. And the one who masterminded their fall, Shadowmind, will not rest until the Justice League is defeated. In the name of Justice. OC inspired by characters like L, Light and Thrawn
1. Chapter 1

**The Fall of the Light**

It had only been a few weeks since Lex Luthor's resignation as General Secretary of the United Nations. When he left so too did any enforcement of his anti-Justice League policies. Much of the world celebrated the lifted restrictions of the Justice League and Outsiders. Yet on the streets of Brightshore the mood from its greatest mind was dark and concerned.

Those feelings had to be suppressed for the sake of this mission, as Shadowmind watched her groups of police officers gear up to take on a lead on Cassandra Savage. Despite her best efforts to remain hidden, Shadowmind had identified the daughter of Vandal Savage leaving her previous base of operations on Santa Prisca a few days ago. Her network at the docks had identified the ship Cassandra had boarded arriving in Brightshore. The fuel record confirmed that the ship had headed straight to the city from the Island without stopping or detouring. Finally, a witness at the docks had described a woman matching Cassandra's description entering a taxi, making it unlikely she was headed too far from the city. Likely to avoid drawing attention as having too many Light members in one place likely would have been suspicious.

Unfortunately for her Shadowmind had contacted the company and the driver, who had told Shadowmind of the young girl's location. It was this room that would be their target. Shadowmind had prepared two squads for her immediate arrest which was why she was watching this squad gear up from her drone's cameras. This drone served as her primary interaction with the world. It hovered silently and could emit a black humanoid silhouette for some minor social interactions. But mostly it served as a camera from which she could view events.

When Shadowmind had arrived in Brightside the police force had been regular donut eating policemen. Armed with tasers and more interested in working with the community than adapting to fight superpowered criminals. Not unreasonable, but sadly that type of police enforcement was no longer viable in a world where any murderous psychopath could become a one-man army. Brightside had a high concentration of metas and while most of these were simple citizens, it still left many to become superpowered criminals. Brightside used to rival Gotham and Bludhaven's criminal activities, but the existence of superpowers had forced them to adapt. When Shadowmind began to advise the Chief of Police that adaptation took place.

Shadowmind had changed everything when she had taken a job as a police analyst, becoming a voice behind the police chief. But her skill as a detective alone wasn't enough, she had reequipped the police forces beyond simple pistols and tasers to advanced assault rifles, sniper rifles and armour. Extreme to be sure, but the threat she went up against often had powers exceeding atom bombs, so she felt it was necessary. Besides, given the lax gun control laws in the US a lot of what she bought was available in local stores. So, she felt she was justified. She had then taken another step, training policemen with tactics and training not out of place within certain militaries. Thanks to her, Brightside had shaken itself of its old reputation and was now a place that criminals would avoid.

"Hey Shadow, what would you have us bring?" asked one of the Sergeants. Shadowmind would be sending two groups to take this woman in.

"Team one will be making the arrest so take assault rifles, team two will provide lookout. There will likely be League of Assassin members in the vicinity so you should take sniper rifles. We'll also be taking smoke bombs, gas masks, thermal goggles, flash bangs and also screamers." Screamers were her own invention, basically making an incredibly loud noise that made it close to impossible to hear anything else. Even a gunshot.

"Understood," he replied as he relayed the orders to his team.

"This woman could be meeting with other members of the Light so be prepared for them. Do not rush this, wait for my lead," she ordered before blinking out. "But don't take too much time. We don't want to lose her."

As the squads prepared to move out Shadowmind was deep in thought. The Light had no operations in Brightshore as far as she knew. Yes, Luthor had purchased a handful of warehouses in the city, but she believed that they existed for tax purposes. Nonetheless the site was still bugged in accordance with the oversight Luthor had permitted but so far, all Shadowmind had been able to find in the place was carpentry equipment.

Other than that, nothing, which either meant Shadowmind was incredible at her job or much worse than she'd like. Not that it was relevant for now, she simply didn't see why the Light would come to Brightside of all places. Her contacts in the criminal world made it clear that most criminals preferred to avoid Brightside, so the appearance of the daughter of Vandal Savage was most unusual.

"Shadow, we're approaching location. We're preparing for the arrest," growled the Sergeant.

"Split up. Team two will watch from afar, the League of Assassins are likely to be here to protect her; team one will make the arrest," she responded down the line.

"Understood." And they did just that. It was the dead of night, so few were there to see what was happening which would allow her officers to gain the drop on her. Things like this wouldn't have been possible once upon a time, but metas were always armed and dangerous and Shadowmind knew that law enforcement would need to adapt.

"Wait, target is moving. She's heading downwards. Should we move in to arrest?" asked her officer.

"Yes," she replied, "she will reveal all under interrogation."

As if on cue one of Shadowmind's computers started beeping, an alarm for one of the Luthor buildings she had wired. Opening the wires and security cameras remotely it was either the best case scenario or the worst case scenario. Why would the Light gather all its members here? Were they regrouping? Brightside had a reputation among criminals, particularly metas, they might think this was the last place anyone would look.

"On second thought, I've seen that the Light are having a meeting at a warehouse just a short distance away from here. It… it seems to be a full house…" Shadowmind explained, trailing off. Every member of the Light was smart, and many of them could take down her entire squad in a fair fight. But then again, she should have the element of surprise.

"Move to 23rd Boxsworth Street. That'll give you a view of the warehouse," Shadowmind ordered to the squad. They didn't shift.

"The entire Light? There's more than a few metas there," said the Sergeant. They were clearly uncertain about whether they wanted to go through with this.

Shadowmind herself had a different outlook. They were metas sure but, with the exception of the boy, none were on the unmanageable level. And the boy's weakness was clear, the cat.

"The streets should be abandoned at this time of night. If you see anyone else through thermals, then it may be League of Assassin back up. I don't need to remind you to check your fire," she ordered, unfazed.

"Wait we're actually going through with this?" asked another of the policemen.

"Would you rather they kill you by succeeding in whatever plan they have?" she responded quietly. There wasn't much of a response to that and without a word they moved towards the address.

As they began to approach the building silently, Shadowmind shifted her focus to a different monitor. Bringing up several files, the first was of the warehouse where they were meeting. A small one barely larger than a house, two floors and a skylight. The place was ostensibly being used to hold carpentry equipment, and Shadowmind had confirmed presence of that stock.

As for the other files, they consisted of information on the Light, and her own analysis of the individuals composing the members. The first was the leader of the Light: Vandal Savage. Also known as Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Blackbeard and Sun Tzu. And it was in his past that his tactics and weaknesses were shown/revealed. Always preferring to engage as a light strike force rather than a slow-moving juggernaut. This was reflected in the calibre of the Light's membership. None of the chief members were heavy hitters with exception of Ultra-Humanite. They preferred to depend on skill and strategy. They could be killed, with Shadowmind's resources.

Vandal Savage's past armies also displayed a weakness that may be exploited. Two in fact. His desire for a light force operating at a distance meant if he was taken by surprise and surrounded many of his tactics were doomed to fail. The second flaw was one of long-term thinking, or lack thereof. Both the Mongol Empire and the Hun Empire collapsed due to ill thought out succession policies. Though why Savage had not become the immortal ruler of these two empires was beyond her.

All this likely translated to the Light. They were used to being one step ahead, if taken by ambush the Light would be vulnerable. Similarly, the arrest of Vandal Savage and his inner council's destruction would likely cause the disintegration of their entire operation. A plan formed in her mind.

Turning back to her drone camera she could see that the two squads had moved to their two positions. Shadowmind's drone had been carried by the Sergeant when it reactivated.

"I have a plan. We will not attempt an ordinary arrest, that would be suicide. Split up the two teams, one team will take the roof, there is a skylight and on my mark you will need to fire at the cat to banish the kid. Team two will take the main and fire entrances, you will on my mark throw smoke grenades and screamers in. Both blinding and deafening our enemy," she explained, the plan taking shape.

"They can fight blind you know," mentioned one of the rookies.

"Perhaps. But in such scenarios they rely on memory to remain coherent of their surroundings. Disorientating them will negate this ability. All the while I imagine you would be unhindered due to your thermal scopes," Shadowmind explained. "Humans are dependent on their five senses, robbing them of two key ones will undoubtedly put them on the back foot. Combined with the element of surprise we will have the advantage."

The group of officers looked to each other at Shadowmind's plan, nodded, and began to move. In her room however Shadowmind leaned back in her chair, fingers pressed together. Waiting to make her move.

**Vandal Savage**

His daughter was late. Not enough to be worried but still late. A likely result of her inexperience. Around him stood each of the members of the Light, standing patiently. Examining the group carefully he noted that they seemed to be dangerously at ease, it seemed they had overlooked a few essential details

The first was simple; he had agreed to hold the meeting here at their advice, but he was uneasy about it. While the Light had managed to remain hidden from all the world's authorities with ease (if one didn't include the Justice League) there had been dangerous rumours in Brightside. There was no hero who protected this city, but the police were harsher here, adapting well to the meta-humans' existence. It was the last place the Justice League may check but nonetheless the city wasn't a place where criminals could blend in easily. Nonetheless he had followed their suggestion, to discuss the disaster at Markovia here.

Finally, the entrance of the warehouse the door began to open, announcing the arrival of his daughter Cassandra. She seemed slightly uncomfortable due to her lateness when bowing to him.

"Apologies Father, I wasn't informed about this meeting until just now," she said, not blinking yet clearly she had rushed here to be on time. Like a young child late for class due to the bus being late.

"That will be dealt with later, for now take your spot next to Shiva," was his order, to which she complied. Eyes darting nervously, she walked to Shiva's side, joining the circle of the Light. From his left the Light were arranged thusly, Ultra-Humanite, Shiva, Cassandra, Klarion, Luthor, Queen Bee, Deathstroke and finally Baazovi to his right.

"Now that we are all here, we should begin to consider how best to compensate our losses in the Makovia incident," he began.

"Losses? I believe that, all things considered, the incident has worked out nicely for the Light," Luthor interjected.

"Is that so? I do not see how it is beneficial for the Light for so much of our organization to be revealed. Our coup in the country to fail, and for our mole to turn traitor. I do not see how that benefits our aims," he replied, his voice soft but hinting at his true anger.

"I believe you are forgetting that we managed to place our own puppet on the throne of Makovia," Luthor reminded him coldly.

"Indeed, it's fortunate that Mr Baazovi could provide damage control there, but nonetheless the Prince's loyalty is questionable at best. And he may still attempt to oppose us if he were given the chance. His Uncle would have made a far better candidate," Savage said. Baazovi had indeed performed admirably but this did not change facts. "I sincerely hope you're not making excuses Luthor."

There was a small silence when Klarion, his cat curled around his shoulders spoke up, "Ooo now things are getting interesting. What do you have to say for yourself Lexy boy?"

Luthor seemed to splutter momentarily before composing himself. "He will come around soon enough, and if nothing else we have deprived the Outsiders of a key-"

_BANG!_

A gunshot. From above. How?

_BANG!_

_BANG!_

_BANG!_

More of them. The cat was dead. Four bullets had hit it. Klarion phased out. Horror and confusion etched on his face. Swords were drawn. Guns were loaded.

_CRASH!_

The door behind them swung open. Several men in masks threw something. Grenades! His colleagues ducked. Savage did the same instinctively. No explosion came. Only smoke. It was thick. So thick he couldn't see. He could still hear gunfire. He remembered the layout of the room. He charged the entrance. Then a noise. It was loud. So loud he couldn't hear anything. It sounded like a fire alarm only it was louder than gunfire. He couldn't hear the attackers anymore. Nor could he see. But he remembered where they had come from and rushed towards them.

But unable to see or hear, he had no way of noticing the flashbangs being thrown. Not until they detonated right in his eyes, bright even through the smoke. Disoriented, buzzing in his ears, he tripped. Something fell on top of him. He could feel fur. It was larger than him. Ultra-Humanite. He was dead.

Savage had no time to react. A bullet had struck his eye. Even as he kicked the corpse off, he had no way of knowing where anything was. He was forced to simply fumble in the dark. Bullets burrowed into his skin, like having splinters shoved into his skin repeatedly. All the while completely unable to do anything.

It felt like a half an hour. Possibly shorter. Bullets were constantly fired at him. His healing saved his life, but he didn't know about his allies until finally the smoke began to clear. What he saw was a disaster.

Towards the entrance Shiva and Deathstroke had been captured. Put in handcuffs that chained both their arms and legs. The same was true with Luthor and Baazovi as they were dragged out of the warehouse. Ultra-Humanite was dead, Klarion was banished, Cassandra had been shot through the leg and immobilized, and Queen Bee had been shot through the hip. She lay there struggling to breathe.

The Light had been beaten. Badly.

"Who are you?" he demanded, standing to his feet. Anger dripping from him like venom. They would pay for this.

There was no answer, but he spotted badges on their uniforms. Policemen? Simple Policemen? Impossible.

"You're not smart enough to do this. So, who is? Let me speak with him," he demanded, he needed to know more.

The policemen looked at each other, before one pulled out a small drone. No bigger than the palm of his hand. When turned on it floated around shoulder height, then emitted a humanoid black silhouette.

"So, what do you want?" it asked, voice distorted beyond recognition.

"A name to begin. Mr.?" he prompted.

"Shadowmind," was his response, nothing more.

"Why are you doing this?" Savage probed further.

"Is it not obvious?" was his only response.

"Are you like the Justice League?" Savage demanded, but the he already knew the answer. This one was ruthless; he hadn't hesitated to kill the most dangerous members of the Light. The Justice League had no members like this in their ranks.

The gaze shifted from him though, this 'Shadowmind' became distracted. When he spoke it wasn't to him. Instead pointing at Baazovi, "Knock that one out. He's a psionic."

Before anyone could say or do anything the side of a gun hit Baazovi's skull, knocking him out immediately.

"I'm no friend of the Justice League," Shadowmind responded, cool and calm. As if he hadn't just ordered one of Savage's subordinates beaten.

"I didn't think so," Savage replied, choosing to overlook the previous incident. "You are ruthless, cunning, and intelligent in a way that the Justice League are not. Virtues that could serve us very well."

"You intend to recruit me?" he asked, his arms folded. As before, nothing could be inferred from his voice.

"Yes. I have an eye for talent and yours would be wasted as a mere officer of the law. You have potential. Let us see it put to use," he offered. It was a true offer. It was always better to recruit than to destroy.

"I know the goals of the Light very well. But I have no interest in creating an intergalactic Human Empire. Such a project is doomed to overextension, just like the Huns. And the Mongols. Do you ever learn from your mistakes?" Shadowmind asked coldly. "So I'm afraid I must decline your offer. Now, Sergeant!"

mmediately Savage heard the all too recent familiar sound of a grenade rolling to his feet. Sighing, he simply kicked it aside, the flashbang detonating behind him somewhere as he charged the nearest officer. The man had only a moment before Savage charged into him. Tackling him to the ground, the force certainly caused something to break.

Bullets were fired again but he shrugged them off. Then someone was dumb enough to charge him. The man was treated to a punch to the stomach, coughing up blood from the impact. In the man's hand was a grenade. Savage was slow; blinded again. A knife buried itself deep into his back.

The fool retreated, but the knife remained, broken at the hilt. He could feel his muscles tear as he stretched. His right arm wouldn't move and felt numb. Painful, but nothing he hadn't felt before.

"Do you know nothing?" he asked, his left arm reaching to the wound to remove the blade. But as his fingers pressed across his shoulder, he didn't feel a wound. His skin had grown over the entry point.

"I know that you can feel it. Can't you? You can't heal from the wound if the knife's still inside you. And it seems your skin has healed over the knife. It's not like a bullet, it isn't merely forced out as you heal. It's too deep. Too big. Have you ever been in a fight you couldn't heal from?" Shadowmind gloated, the drone floating out of his reach. The pain was unbearable, he was becoming disorientated.

So disorientated that he didn't notice another of the damn grenades rolling at his feet. He was thrown backwards. And even with his powers it blew a hole in his body. This one though was rapidly healing.

"Puncture the lungs. If they don't heal then the rest of the body will shut down due to oxygen deprivation," Shadowmind ordered, as one of the officers approached. Having his insides blasted apart left Savage unable to do much at all as something was forcibly jabbed into him. Whatever the object was, as his body recovered, he could still feel the foreign object inside him. And he could do little more than choke as his vision clouded.

It wasn't possible. The Light destroyed?

**A/N: Special credit to Gina-Tsukiko for beta-reading this story. **

**I got the idea for Shadowmind when I noticed a common trend among Superhero stories. That being that when there's a conflict between Superheroes and Governments that the Governments are always portrayed as stupid, war hawkish and corrupt. Which kind of acts as a sort of strawman fallacy, this story asks the question of what if the Government was not represented by the brutal Waller or the incompetent Ross but instead by a genius, principled Shadowmind. And what reasons someone like that may choose to go against the Justice League. Because I feel too many stories go against the Government when this subject arises.**


	2. Chapter 2- When Hell Freezes Over

**When Hell freezes over**

**Nightwing/ Dick Grayson**

In the private conference hall of the Watchtower Nightwing arrived to see Batman and Black Lightning already there. Barbara was also here, with Kaldur reporting in by hologram. Before, a lot of these people had been a part of the… well he supposed the anti-light and there was some tension there, but for the most part things were solid.

The mood was one of subdued shock, eclipsing the joy that should be felt. There was little talking, but a lot of thinking. What happened? Was it really just the police? Was there something else at play? It just all seemed too good to be true.

They were gathered around the horseshoe table in the main conference hall, in the center was the hologram projector, though deactivated right now. All other members of the Justice League were either at home or on a mission. Finally, Wonder Woman blinked.

"So, what's the problem here? Has the Light made a move?" Wonder Woman asked, clearly unaware of what was really going on.

"No, not unless it was their plan to end up in a jail cell," Nightwing explained with a smile.

"You mean?" she gasped.

"Every member of the Light's ruling council was arrested last night," Batman explained "and what remains of the Light has gone into hiding."

"Sweet Hera. Good work, how did you do this? Tell me the whole story," she gushed excited, she seemed to be unaware that the Justice League played no part in their defeat. "Who do we have to thank?"

"We don't know," Nightwing answered. "Policemen arrested them."

"What? Really? Local law enforcement?" she asked with disbelief.

"No joke, though I did some digging," Barbara explained. "Turns out Brightshore has its own defender. Just not a public one."

In the center of the room a new image appeared, a globe on a black background. Circling the world was a phoenix, the two being white on a black background.

"This is the symbol of a person called Shadowmind. They are a Police Analyst, though it seems they're a bit more hands on," Barbara explained. "Reformed the entire Brightshore Police Department. Before him the city was like Gotham, now it's setting records for safest city in the US."

That was news to Nightwing but then again, Barbara had a knack for investigating secrets like this, so it wasn't surprising.

"So, who is it? Who's this Shadowmind?" he asked her, at which she and Batman shared glances. They must have worked together.

"That's still unclear," Batman answered with clenched teeth.

"You said that he was a Police Analyst, couldn't you find any records about that?" Wonder Woman asked to which Barbara shook her head.

"No, we don't even think anyone's ever seen this guy. He works remotely, operating through computer screens," Barbara said, a hand went to her face in frustration.

"Sounds like someone I know," Nightwing teased.

"It takes one to know one," she replied suavely.

"Is that all? What do you think he's hiding from?" Wonder Woman asked, "or who?"

"He's apparently under witness protection," Batman growled "most likely due to his actions in cleaning things up."

"I guess, but we could hardly be the ones to judge," Wonder Woman said. Silently, Nightwing agreed.

"We need to learn more about this 'Shadowmind'. He managed to take down the Light in a day," Kaldur said "he could be a threat."

Nightwing was about to agree when he noticed Black Lightning was being quiet, his hands grasped over the table.

"Err, Jeff, you're the leader of the Justice League," Nightwing reminded him. "if anyone should have a say here it's you."

Another awkward silence passed until finally he spoke "I think you lot are being a bit too quick to consider him a threat."

"We don't think he's a threat, but we have to consider that possibility," Batman insisted.

"By investigating him? For what? Taking down our greatest opponents?" Black Lightning demanded. "Is that what it takes to be considered a threat now?"

"He has a point," Kaldur conceded. "We have no reason to suspect Shadowmind of anything."

"There's one thing we forgot to mention," Batman added "Shadowmind's a killer."

All eyes shifted towards Batman at that, only for Barbara to interrupt "To clarify, we don't actually know if Shadowmind's killed. The death of Ultra-Humanite was likely an accident"

"This isn't that much of an issue is it? I myself have killed" Wonder Woman pointed out.

"That was during a war, there's a difference" Batman growled.

"These days criminals have very much blurred the line between the two" Black Lightning pointed out. This didn't sit well with Batman, and it was Barbara who diffused the situation.

"I don't think Shadowmind did kill Ultra-Humanite intentionally. The room was filled with smoke, misfires do happen" Barbara piped up.

"Perhaps we should keep an eye on him. And the best way to do that is to invite him into the Justice League" Black Lightning suggested.

"You're kidding!" Nightwing spluttered.

"We don't know anything about Shadowmind, but if we let him into the Justice League, we know we can keep an eye on him. And if he's close to crossing the line then we can be there to guide him away from it," Black Lightning explained. "If he's hiding something then I'm sure it'll be easier for the world's greatest detective to find it if he's in close. And if he's sincere, then we'll have a very smart ally."

The League looked towards each other, before nods were exchanged in agreement. Batman was perhaps the most hesitant.

"That just leaves one question. How do we contact him?" Nightwing asked.

"Leave that to Troia, as leader of the UN she could easily invite him in for a medal and we can make a surprise appearance," Wonder Woman suggested.

**Shadowmind**

Things were busy, more and more evidence had to be compiled, analyzed and approved. Every so often another police officer would run in with a call from an Interpol agent, some new lead or more evidence requiring approval. There were mountains of this stuff, hidden of course. But the Light hadn't been able to hide much from Shadowmind. She had to wonder why the Gotham and Metropolis police were unable to find the evidence. Perhaps they were overworked.

Shadowmind's silhouette hung over the crowd, coordinating such an immense operation. When suddenly, another door opened revealing one of the newer detectives. "Guys, the Light's trying for a plea bargain.

_A plea bargain? So, they didn't think they could win a trial… but what deal could they be going for? Given their list of crimes they couldn't hope to get a slap on the wrist._

"What are they confessing to?" was her question, they'd have to confess to something.

"Everything but treason," was the response.

_Of course, in this state treason was the only death penalty level offense. They were trying to save their own skins. Though they wouldn't be able to avoid life imprisonment._

"Acceptable, rather, it is preferable," She said, stunning the police force. "It's clear by this point that the death penalty is useless. Too many Lazarus Pits, too many necromancers. If imprisoned the Light can be watched. And we will be forewarned if they escape. Though that is unlikely, I designed the Brightshore prisons. They make the highest security prisons in the rest of the world a joke… though for safety it would be prudent to separate them."

"Err right, okay Shadow. Should we celebrate?" one police officer asked, when suddenly the Chief burst through the door.

The Chief was a man in his late fifties, albeit one in very good health. He was built like a truck with a shaggy white beard. Like a lion's mane. Capable and fearless but lacking the innovation the world needed, one that she could provide. But right now, his face was one of complete shock and terror.

"I-I received a letter," he gasped, as the police stopped their work to stare at the man.

A silence ensued that Shadowmind decided to break.

"Congratulations," she muttered sarcastically before turning back to the paperwork. Most of it was unnecessary now but still.

"For you," he gasped.

_Can't be. She's a secret. WHO? A metavillain? The Justice League? Remnants of the Light? The Outsiders? Could it be… them? The so-called heroes in Zedvar._

Place it on the table," she ordered, "don't open it yet."

He did so, peering closely. The handwriting was cursive and neat. Large as well. Many people didn't know this, but a lot can be determined by someone's handwriting. The size of it implied an outgoing personality, the spacing was normal. The 'T's had long crosses and were in the middle of the 'T' implying a confident and a determined nature. There was more she could deduce by the size, shape, spacing and each letter of the address. But explaining it all would take too long.

But most important of all was a symbol after the 'Shadowmind'. A mark that was only used by one society, the Amazons. So, this was sent by an Amazon… there were two she knew of who would likely have sent this. And Wonder Woman would have arrived in person.

"Open it please," she asked, operating from afar. Using her camera drone made such simple tasks impossible. "I'm certain that the General Secretary wouldn't send us a letter bomb."

The chief did just that, laying the letter on a table. After reading the first three words she let out a sigh of relief.

_'Dear Mr. Shadowmind,'_

There was a reason why she lied about her gender: the pronouns. She knew if people discovered her identity then the pronouns would change from masculine to feminine. And if she heard that change then she'd know the threat. One could of course keep using the same pronouns, but that would require them to: A) Identify why Shadowmind had hidden her gender, and B) Be cautious enough to not slip up once. More difficult than it sounds.

Bringing her focus back to the letter she read what was left.

_For your efforts in maintaining peace and order on the streets of Brightshore, and for your arrest of the international terrorist organization known only as the Light, I wish to extend to you an invitation to be awarded the United Nations Peace Medal.'_

The rest of the letter was bureaucratic details and matters of little importance. Up unto the end which confirmed her theory that it was sent by Donna Troy. So, the Justice League was behind this. It was especially clear since none of the Police officers had been invited. The new General Secretary didn't do anything without their consent. Why did they want her at the UN?

_Nonetheless there may be an opportunity here…hmm_

"I'm headed to the UN. I've been awarded the UN Peace Medal," she explained to her colleagues. "I may be moving on to greener pastures. I'm sure you can handle this city now."

And with that, she was gone.

**Black Lightning**

"So you lot stay here while I get this started. This Shadowmind's appearing by some sort of drone camera thing. I don't think she'll appear until the award ceremony starts. Then you guys can offer him your opportunity," Troia offered with two thumbs up. Aside from Black Lightning, Batman and Beast Boy were also here. Batman was there mostly for popularity's sake. What with Superman and Wonder Woman off world, he was the closest they could get. Garfield was there to offer him a position to the Outsiders, if he didn't wish to join the Justice League.

"That sounds good, we'll wait for your introduction," Black Lightning affirmed as Troia walked out onto the stage.

"Are you sure we should be ambushing him like this?" Beast Boy asked. "It seems kind of rude."

"We don't know his address and he seems overly paranoid. I think this is the only way to reach him and to assure him it's not a trap," Black Lightning explained. "I admit it's not ideal."

"There he is!" Beast Boy pointed out and indeed to the left of the podium the camera drone hovered, emitting a humanoid black silhouette. The silhouette was neither large nor small but was distinctly masculine in nature. Though across the silhouette were brief traces of static, on the face it could be mistaken for eyes.

"That's him huh? Wonder why he never turns up in person?" Black Lightning wondered. Was the guy afraid of someone? Was it simply a security thing? Maybe agoraphobic?

"Why don't you just ask him when he joins?" Batman pointed out.

"Fair enough," was his only response. "Seems Troia's starting the ceremony now."

Tapping the microphone Troia silenced the crowd. It was unusually full for such a small event, though this medal award was simply a prelude for more metahuman politics and an attempt to remove the last of Luthor's policies, allowing the League total freedom.

"Attention please. I would now like to call this meeting to order. Our goals in this meeting will be to wipe away the final trace of the Light's influence on the United Nations by freeing the heroes of the Justice League.

We owe this chance to two groups, the first to the heroes of the Justice League who exposed Luthor's treachery and have fought this foe that wished to take our world for their own. And secondly to a humble Police Analyst who led the arrest of the ruling members of the Light who like our heroes only goes by their code name. But this Shadowmind has proven themselves a defender of peace of the planet. For this I see no reason why we shouldn't reward him the medal of peace.

But first, I have some guests who have something to say to him."

That was their cue, the three heroes walked out from the side lines. The crowd waited in polite silence as the silhouette turned to them. He could only guess that whoever Shadowmind was, they were staring at them.

"Mr. Shadowmind, I am Black Lightning, Chairman of the Justice League. This is Garfield Logan, otherwise known as Beast Boy, and this is of course Batman," he introduced himself and his colleagues. "We have looked into your work in Brightshore and we are impressed by your capture of the Light. It is clear that you seek to uphold the values of truth, honor and justice."

"Though some of your methods have bordered on the extreme, we believe that with dedication and guidance you could likewise become a hero look up to," Batman said, in his usual gruff voice.

And if you want to join the Outsiders instead then that's also an option. We kinda don't know how old you actually are, so I thought I'd make the offer," Beast Boy admitted, one hand rubbing the back of his head.

"So, what do you say Shadowmind?" he asked holding out his hand. "Do you want to join the Justice League and take your first step to becoming a hero?"

A small silence permeated the room, in these moments the seconds felt like minutes. He could feel Shadowmind stare down at his hand, then turned to him. Then he faced him and replied with his distorted voice:

"I'll join you when hell freezes over!"

Stunned silence, as Black Lightning's hand dropped and stumbled backwards slightly. Never had one spoken to the Justice League in such a way.

"Why would I ever join you? I value accountability, the rule of law and a separation of powers. Values the Justice League seem to think they're above," Shadowmind spat.

"We do not-"

"Don't. Lie. You couldn't even deal with basic checks on your powers. You couldn't let a measly five nations give their approval for what you do. Which by the way is an oversight that literally every decision made by the UN has to abide by," he said, anger dripping.

"It was unfair-"

"You're right it was unfair. Supposedly the Justice League is meant to act on behalf of the world. But only two billion in a population of seven billion received anything resembling oversight over you. It was unfair because it didn't go far enough."

"Luthor-"

"Was not a King, or a dictator. He was the General Secretary. He suggested a policy and the nations of the world agreed. It wasn't his law but the law of Nations of the world. And how did you respond to this basic oversight. By conspiring, lying, fabricating incidents to inspire fear and bypassing the United Nations,"

"We know we made mistakes," he tried to plead.

"Yet you have done nothing to pay for them, or to rectify them. Batman walks unpunished under your League's protection when anyone else would have been imprisoned. Good intentions or not. The Outsiders still exist to spit in the face of meta-human laws and then meme about it online. So what is the difference between what you do now and what you did before?"

Silence.

"I value democracy. I value accountable governments. But the Justice League is none of those things. It's little more than an unaccountable, unelected, all-powerful military that parades around like they're the good guys. A tyranny in the making," Shadowmind concluded. The three of them were in shock, the entire UN was in shock. Finally, the silhouette's arm shot out to point at Troia.

"Don't you have a medal for me?" he demanded.

"Wha-but-but I-" she stammered, a loss for words.

"Don't worry I understand," Shadowmind said. "You'd be a terrible puppet if you awarded someone who challenged your Justice League overlords. I'll just wait in the crowd."

And with that Shadowmind's silhouette glided away.

**A/N: Again special mention to Gina Tsukiko for beta-reading this chapter.**

**In this chapter I wanted to accomplish two things, one show some insight into how Shadowmind thinks, and two give us a real sense of her morals. I believe I hope I've accomplished that, though feel free to provide feedback.**


	3. The Metahuman Defense Imitative

**The Metahuman Defense Initiative **

**Black Lightning (Jeff Pierce)- United Nations **

Every so often his eyes would dart towards the silhouette standing in the corner, distantly watching everything. Few had ever refused to join the Justice League, and none had refused to join due to rejecting everything it stood for. Not that there weren't people who'd do it because of these principles but Jeff had always pegged these people to have an absurdly abhorrent ideology. Like the Joker or Savage. But many of Shadowmind's arguments were much of the same things he himself criticized Luthor for having. It was disorientating.

That wasn't the only problem though. Shadowmind had opened the floodgates with her dismissal of the Justice League. Her passive aggressive accusation of Troja had completely warped the view of the UN. Now, instead of being on track to ending Luthor's restrictions, the UN was gridlocked on whether or not to reinstate the ones that had already been overturned. It had been so quick, most of the UN must not have actually been okay with letting the restrictions loose before. Now they were emboldened.

Right now, they were taking a break from the discussions and gathering in the lobby. Hundreds of ambassadors discussed, talked and strategized for further discussions. He was on the balcony overlooking the lobby, Batman skulking in the corner, while Beast Boy was down below interacting with the press. Both Troja and Garth were talking with other ambassadors with pained expressions and flustered smiles.

But, yet again, Jeff found his attention shifting towards Shadowmind, who he watched like a hawk. His interest was interrupted by another voice to his side.

"Disappointing, isn't it?" the man said, "All your work exposing Luthor and this guy comes in to wreck it all."

"It is, I admit," he said turning to the man. "and as we wait more meta-children will suffer while politicians drag their heels."

He seemed to be a youthful man, slightly short with a thin pair of glasses and a somewhat thin physique. If Jeff had to guess he would say he came from some eastern nation in Asia, though he couldn't quite place the accent.

"Su Xiang, ambassador of Zedvar," he said, offering his hand to him.

"Black Lightning, chairman of the Justice League. But I guess you already knew that," he replied, shaking it.

"You have no idea where Zedvar is do you?" Mr. Xiang asked, bluntly but with good cheer.

"I didn't even know it existed. Sorry," he confessed but to which the man shook his head.

"No need to apologize. I don't blame you. Our country hasn't even been in the UN until recently," he said. "We've rarely had a major part in politics either."

This conversation was turning slightly awkward, but Mr. Xiang seemed unconcerned. "Anyway, I just wanted to assure you that not every nation agreed with that slime ball."

"Thanks, I guess," was all Jeff could say. He was grateful but he wasn't very familiar with this man or even with politicians in general. "But this guy has a right to say what he likes about the Justice League. It's a free country."

"How do people like that sleep at night? Letting innocent people suffer for petty politics," he scoffed, visibly appalled. Jeff meanwhile simply sighed.

"It's just the way of the world," he said, resigned. "I'm sure this will blow over."

"We can only hope," Mr. Xiang said. "In my country we wouldn't have to put up with people like that. When our nation realized that heroes like you are just good people doing the right thing, we let them loose. Now our country is at harmony between heroes and politics."

"It sounds great, maybe that will be a worldwide thing one day." Jeff replied.

"You shouldn't have to wait either. These people haven't seen what you have, they don't get it. They don't get to interfere" the ambassador said, his tone began to hint at anger. Jeff was starting to feel unease, this man was advocating for a bit too much.

"That's not going to happen" he replied flatly, but then he realised something "where's Batman?"

**Shadowmind**

She skulked in the corner of the lobby, as delegates and ambassadors socialized. Or more accurately, her drone hovered in the corner. She was never one for pointless socialization nor small talk, and instead watched the conversations like a hawk. She identified alliances being made, enemies being identified, and deals being struck. But the mood had changed, she had broken an atmosphere. Whereas before they were cowed by the fear of being singled out, now they followed her example.

Though she doubted this would be a permanent change, politics did not permanently shift on one person's speech, it was heartening to know that she hadn't been completely ignored.

Her thoughts were interrupted by what she assumed was a man in his mid-fifties approaching her silhouette. She recognized this man as the US ambassador. She didn't know much more than that.

"Shadowmind, was it?" he asked, his voice almost a whisper. Suspicious.

"Yes," she replied.

"Could you follow me? There is something we would like to discuss with you. In private." The man asked to which she nodded; a gesture reflected by the silhouette as it proceeded to follow this man into a much smaller room. The door was locked behind them as they entered.

The room was small, an office. More chairs had been pulled from other rooms. Five men were already inside. They were the other members of the security council members… along with the recently deposed Prince of Markovia. Was his sister not a part of the Outsiders? Though so was the new King.

Intriguing.

"We'd offer you a seat, but you seem unable to take that offer," said the Russian ambassador. She didn't respond, her eyes still fixated on the prince. Not that the Ambassadors could see that.

"Is something wrong?" asked the French Ambassador.

"Sorry, I tend to get lost in thought," she apologized, turning her full attention to them, "So, what is it?"

"We've been looking over your profile. Name unknown. Age unknown. Appearance unknown. That's a lot of unknowns," said the Russian ambassador.

Strange question… probably leading to something else. She had nothing to hide here though.

"I've been under witness protection for a very long time. I'm under threat from several metahumans who cannot be stopped, so secrecy is my best defense. The codename 'Shadowmind' was established to allow me to continue my work from safety," she explained, omitting the additional reason that she just wasn't comfortable meeting people in person.

"I suppose given your line of work it's to be expected," the man answered. "We've been looking at your record. Remarkable."

"Not to mention your relatively clean record," another said to his side. "That's quite impressive."

"I suppose," she said, not quite sure what else to say.

"We were speaking about what you said. Could you tell us what you really think about the Justice League?" the man asked. "A full analysis."

So, they wanted a full analysis, not the speech she had given the Justice League. No reason not to acquiesce.

"A necessary evil, but one that should be replaced. And although still an evil," was her response, "and while they may have kept the world in one peace, their existence is an obstacle before the world can improve."

She took a breath, explaining this would be difficult. "There is a difference between when the people enforce the law and when heroes enforce things. Only a nation state should use force. When the state acts, it upholds the Justice of the law, while Superheroes uphold what they feel is 'justice'. There is a difference that breeds inconsistency, and if the application of Justice is inconsistent then through the cracks, anarchy slips through.

"The Justice League does not act regarding any codified law, only working to enforce what each member considers right and wrong. Batman's 'justice' is different than Black Lightning's. Even if they eventually offload criminals into police custody, the arrest, the rules they enforce and the ones they bend, and everything else is too inconsistent. If they are our first line of defense, our most powerful line of defense, then the world cannot improve." Shadowmind explained, but immediately she realized she might have gone overboard. Not sure if she had been unclear. She might have rambled a bit.

The men around her were simply staring at the silhouette, except the Prince of Markovia. His eyes remained shadowed; his voice silent.

"That seems quite different from what you were saying before, didn't you call the Justice League a 'Tyranny in the making'?" the British ambassador asked, eyes narrowed.

"I did, and I stand by that. The actions the League have taken remain an abhorrent overreach of power… but more than that they will be ineffective. In time as the situation spirals out of their control, they will be unable to find their roles to be compatible with the reality of the situation. Their mental stability will slip, and they will turn on us. I have seen it before…" _and lost everything._

"Even if this doesn't happen people change over time. We do not know if the Justice League will not turn on us in twenty years. Or forty. And even if they never do, what about the next generation? Or the one after that? We cannot expect to be lucky indefinitely. Eventually we will be unlucky," she said. It was unfortunate but true, "and the only way to stop that from happening is to strike first."

There was no dissent or questioning, though some of the people were taking notes. Trying to get a good look at her, even though all they could stare at was the silhouette it didn't stop them from trying. They were evaluating her for something.

"Shadowmind, there has been some talk between the Nations of the world. Every attempt thus far to establish any Government response to meta-attacks has met failure, been infiltrated or has gone rogue. However, a new fresh attempt has been suggested, this time one with oversight and supported by multiple world nations. But it's been slow to gain traction, especially since there's no clear leader," the man explained, sliding across his desk he passed an electronic pad. On it was what Shadowmind assumed to be the symbol of this new organization, it was similar to her own symbol. Only in blue and white, and in the place of the phoenix was instead a hydra.

"It's called the Metahuman Defense Initiative, or MDI. It's meant to act as a global police force against metahumans. We only need a clear leader."

"This seems to be a hasty decision," she stated, the first time they would have known of her should have only been a few hours ago.

"It wasn't just the Justice League who wanted to recruit you after what happened with the Light," one man explained. "We've looked into your background already, plus you had the guts to stand up to the Justice League already."

"And it's not as if you're going to be recruited no questions asked. We just wanted to add you to a pool of potential candidates," another assured her.

"Then I will be eager to help. Something needs to be done." Shadowmind replied, her voice as neutral as usual but secretly a sense of hope was forming. This was what she was waiting for. The first step in the right direction.

If only she had known that Batman had been listening the whole time.


End file.
